NEW YORK, Feb. 19, 2026 — AtaiBeckley Inc (NASDAQ: ATAI) (“AtaiBeckley” or the “Company”), a clinical-stage biotech firm dedicated to improving patient outcomes through the creation of fast-acting, long-lasting, and accessible mental health therapies, today announced that Michael Faerm has been appointed Chief Financial Officer, effective March 9, 2026.
Mr. Faerm is a veteran financial leader with over 25 years of experience spanning life sciences firms, equity research, and investment banking. In his role as CFO at AtaiBeckley, he will oversee the Company’s financial planning, capital markets engagements, and comprehensive financial functions.
Anne Johnson, who has held the position of Chief Financial Officer since 2024, will move into the role of Chief Accounting Officer when Mr. Faerm’s appointment takes effect. In this capacity, she will maintain leadership over accounting and financial operations, collaborating closely with Mr. Faerm to ensure a smooth transition and consistent operations.
“We are thrilled to welcome Mike Faerm to AtaiBeckley as our Chief Financial Officer,” stated Srinivas Rao, Chief Executive Officer and Co-Founder of Atai Beckley. “Mike possesses extensive strategic finance expertise and a robust grasp of the life sciences industry, which will be crucial as BPL-003 progresses toward Phase 3 and our wider portfolio of clinical-stage programs moves forward.”
“We also value Anne’s ongoing leadership as Chief Accounting Officer. Her operational knowledge and deep understanding of our financial infrastructure offer vital continuity. Together, Mike and Anne form a powerful and synergistic finance leadership team for the Company.”
“I’m thrilled to join AtaiBeckley at this pivotal juncture,” said Mr. Faerm. “With BPL-003 progressing toward Phase 3 and a robust clinical-stage pipeline underpinning the broader strategy, this is an opportune moment to help define the Company’s financial and capital markets strategy. I anticipate guiding our financial planning, partnering with Anne as Chief Accounting Officer, and working alongside the entire executive team to enable disciplined execution as the Company enters late-stage development.”
Most recently, Mr. Faerm was Chief Financial Officer at Viracta Therapeutics, Inc. Before that, he acted as Interim CFO at Harpoon Therapeutics, Inc.—which was purchased by Merck—where he assisted in leading a $150 million PIPE financing, and served as CFO of Artiva Biotherapeutics, Inc. Earlier in his career, Mr. Faerm was the Chief Business Officer of Innoviva, Inc., and held business development and strategic finance positions at Forest Laboratories, Inc. and Regeneron Pharmaceuticals, Inc. His Wall Street background includes roles at Credit Suisse and Wells Fargo Securities as a senior equity research analyst focusing on the pharmaceutical industry, and at Merrill Lynch as an investment banker managing a broad array of M&A and financing deals in biopharma and other healthcare areas. Mr. Faerm holds an MBA from Harvard Business School, an MS in Civil Engineering from Stanford University, and a BS in Civil Engineering from Columbia University.
About AtaiBeckley Inc.
AtaiBeckley is a clinical-stage biotechnology company committed to transforming patient outcomes by developing rapid-acting, durable, and convenient mental health treatments. The Company’s pipeline of innovative therapies features BPL-003 (mebufotenin benzoate nasal spray) for treatment-resistant depression (TRD), VLS-01 (DMT buccal film) for TRD, and EMP-01 ((R)-MDMA HCI) for social anxiety disorder. BPL-003 is in Phase 3 planning, while VLS-01 and EMP-01 are in Phase 2 clinical development. AtaiBeckley is also progressing a drug discovery initiative aimed at finding new, non-hallucinogenic 5-HT2AR agonists for opioid use disorder and TRD. These efforts are designed to achieve breakthroughs in mental health via transformative interventional psychiatry treatments that can be easily incorporated into healthcare systems.
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Forward-Looking Statements
This press release includes forward-looking statements as defined by the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, as amended. We intend these forward-looking statements to be protected by the safe harbor provisions for such statements in Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933 and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, both as amended. Terms such as “believe,” “may,” “will,” “estimate,” “continue,” “anticipate,” “intend,” “expect,” “initiate,” “could,” “would,” “project,” “plan,” “potentially,” “preliminary,” “likely,” and comparable expressions are meant to identify forward-looking statements, though not all such statements contain these words. Forward-looking statements cover, among other topics: remarks concerning our management transition; our business strategy and objectives; and the anticipated timing and advancement of trials for our product candidates, including BPL-003.
Forward-looking statements are not assurances or guarantees, but involve known and unknown risks and uncertainties that may cause actual results to differ significantly from those projected. These include, but are not limited to, the significant elements outlined in the “Risk Factors” section of our latest Annual Report on Form 10-K submitted to the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”), which may be revised periodically in AtaiBeckley’s subsequent SEC filings. AtaiBeckley assumes no duty to update or alter any forward-looking statements in this press release, except as mandated by law.
Investor and Media Relations:
Investors:
Jason Awe, PhD
VP, Investor Relations
Media:
Charlotte Chorley
Associate Director, Communications
